Henri Philippe Verbrugghen

About Henri

Henri Philippe Hopkins Verbrugghen, 87, died Thursday, March 24, 2022 at Sanford Bemidji Medical Center.

Henri was born 9 -30-1934 in Bemidji, Minnesota as there was no hospital in Park Rapids. He started life on his father's 3,000 acre sheep ranch with a thousand head of sheep.

In addition to sheep there were several head of saddle horses and a team, a Jersey cow and a nanny goat for milk, a sheep dog and a bird dog, and a cat for mice.

Henri was particular fond of the horses and the bird dog and grew up on the back of a horse. His father often said, "My son talks to horses."

Henri's first home was a log house built by his father and uncle with saw, axe and adz. There was no electricity except for a small wind generator on the roof which charged a six volt battery which in turn powered a Zeneth radio so that his parents could listen to Cedric Adams with the evening news and the show, "The Virginian". There was no plumbing or running water and the "biffy" was about forty yards from the house.

Henri was a first generation American, both of his parents having come off the boat from Scotland and Australia. Henri grew up with a great love and appreciation for The United States of America which was reinforced as a student at the Breck Military Academy. He felt a strong desire to serve and did so by enlisting in the army. He eventually served in all the branches of service and ended up with honorable discharges from the Army (504 AIR, 82nd Abn, Div.), Air Force (934th Air Lift Wing) and the Marines (VTU 1-11).

Henri also attended the University of Minnesota and graduated with a Bachelors degree in International Relations. After graduating, Henri worked as a security analyst and a statistician for a mutual fund in the financial district of New York. While in New York Henri took up the sport of parachuting, accumulating over 150 jumps and it was there where he met his future wife, Johanna Visscher, they married in The Netherlands in 1964.

Feeling a need for more excitement in his life, Henri took his bride to live in Southeast Asia where he spent seven years fighting communism: three and a half years as a kicker with Air America and three and a half years as a pilot with Continental Air Services.

Later he flew planes for Mobil Oil in Libya and ultimately moved the family to Park Rapids, Minnesota where he finished his pilot's life working as Operations Manager for Bemidji Aviation, finally retiring at the age of 70.

He is survived by his wife, Johanna, who selflessly kept the family together through all their travels, and his children: Philippe Verbrugghen with wife Deborah of Florence, KY and children Laurna and Henri, Karina Havasi with husband Imre of Shorewood, MN and children Marcel, Andre and Willem, and Alexander Verbrugghen of San Diego, CA with children Annika, Ava and Jacob; and his sister, Denise Verbrugghen McFarland.

memorial service

There are no events scheduled at this time

Funeral/Cremation Provider: Cease Family Funeral Home